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A survey of Lansing's musical landscape

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John Gorka at the Ten Pound Fiddle, Friday, Feb. 6

After cutting his teeth in the 1980s Greenwich Village music scene, John Gorka became a preeminent figure in the new folk movement. Friday he performs at the Ten Pound Fiddle. The New Jersey native, known for his sharp wit and poignant baritone vocals, debuted in 1987 with his “I Know” LP on Red House Records. In the ‘90s he switched to the Windham Hill label and released the acclaimed “Land of the Bottom Line.” His 1993 “Temporary Road” LP earned national radio attention with the single “When She Kisses Me,” and Gorka opened tours for Mary Chapin Carpenter and Nanci Griffith. In the years following, Gorka has collaborated with an array of artists, including Kathy Mattea and Leo Kottke. After a four-year hiatus, he released the earnest and wistful “The Bright Side of Down” LP last year.

Unitarian Universalist Church, 855 Grove Street, East Lansing. $18, $15 members, $5 students. 7:30 p.m., Friday, Feb. 6




Squirrel Shaped Fish at the Avenue Cafe, Saturday, Feb. 7

The self-proclaimed “lounge pop/groove rock” band Squirrel Shaped Fish plays a unique brand of smooth R&B-inspired indie-rock. The Lansing-based group headlines Saturday at the Avenue Café. Openers are the Vonneguts (Detroit), mtvghosts (Chicago), and local punk-rock band the Fiction Junkies. Squirrel Shaped Fish formed during the summer of 2013 and within months played its first show. In 2014 the band played the Common Ground Music Festival alongside 311 and the Violent Femmes. Beyond Lansing, the group has gigged in Chicago, Minneapolis, and Iowa City. Last year the band released its debut EP, “Learn to Love,” and is currently writing tracks for a debut full length, due out this year.

The Avenue Café, 2021 E. Michigan Ave. 18 , $5, 9 p.m. , Saturday, Feb. 7



The Main Squeeze at the Loft, Saturday, Feb. 7

The enormous funky sound of the Main Squeeze has been heard everywhere from China to the Bonnaroo Music Festival to Electric Forest. Saturday the band headlines the Loft, openers are Desmond Jones and Everyday Junior. The Main Squeeze shifts between classic funk and rock, while interspersing jazzy melodies. Its signature sound is a concoction of soulful vocals, intricate jams, tight grooves, and vigorous guitar solos. The band formed in late 2009 and began gigging around its hometown of Chicago. In 2012 the Main Squeeze released its self-titled debut LP and was picked by Rolling Stone Magazine to open for the Roots and Jane’s Addiction at the official Superbowl XLVI tailgate party in Indianapolis.

The Loft, 414 E. Michigan Ave., Lansing. 18 , $15, $10 adv. 8 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 7

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